With the rapid advancement in wireless technology, more and more devices, including computing devices and consumer electronics like televisions and digital media appliances, are embedding one or more wireless network interfaces. The high penetration rate of wireless communication not only may allow devices to easily connect to available networks, but also may help to enable an increasing usage of direct connections between devices. Currently, in most networks using IEEE 802.11 technology, devices are connected with each other through an access point, and all traffic between devices passes through the access point. In contrast, by using direct connections, a portable device may be able to exchange data with another portable device without any cable, and without passing through such an access point or relying on any existing network infrastructure. As an example, a mobile phone may directly stream videos to a TV, or sync/exchange its media content with another mobile phone.